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I use the used shuttles for wram-ups and stroking or if these are not available, the cheaper new shuttles.... Games and tournaments are diff.

But its feathers all the way.
I never liked nylon - it's flight is well.. a little wierd and the past 2 times I used nylon I found that it favoured hard hitters... smashes are faster - and you need a lot less effort to do a proper clear...

I guess we are quite lucky here - we get feather shuttlecocks ranging from USD6 to USD 20 per tube..... theres something to suit everyone !

i have to say feather i mean when you play with plastic and then feather you can see a noticable difference i find that the hit off a feather is cleaner but thats just my opinion. and if you cant afford feathers then just look for then at where you play im sure that you can find some that are just sitting there in good condition waiting for you to take them

Feathers!!!

Feather birdies are best in the humid countries. But here it's dry and cold and the birdie doesn't fly too well. So plastic would be better. But in Asia feather birdies are awesome, my shots are so much more accurate and it flies so much better. The disadvangtage is that u gotta so through so many birdies, cuz they break easily.

More on the plastic to feather shuttle comparison...

I know this may be an old thread that I am replying to, but I have just recently joined Badminton Central.

I wanted to add, and ask some things regarding feather shuttles that I haven't entirely gotten from reading through the thread replies so far:

First, has anyone tried the Yonex Mavis 370 shuttles. I called Yonex and they tell me that they fly as close to feathers as any plastic shuttles have before. The testing they show indicates only something like only .005 seconds less than the recovery time of a feather shuttle. Has anyone tried it enough to say it feels reasonably close to feather. It feels no better than the Mavis 300s or 350s then I will not bother ordering them from overseas somewhere.

Second, do the feather shuttles get destroyed around east coast USA very easily? I know in Edmonton, Canada, where I am from, they could really fall apart quickly, even with court-side steaming. If anyone has any input on this then I will know whether to invest in feather shuttles for my own practice.

Third, I ordered some lower grade feather shuttles for about 8.50/Dozen because true feather ones are so much more expensive. In my research, I read that these just use feathers that are rejected for simple reasons. (ie. sometimes the color is not right, a slight mishape in the feather, or something else that might not have that great of an effect on the flight of the shuttle. I will find out shortly if they are any good for myself, but I see some people seem to think practice shuttles are no good at all, and yet others are willing to use beaten up, left-over tournament or club grade shuttles instead.

So those are my thoughts and questions if anyone has any further input. I do know that the shuttle use is very dependent on where you live, and have experienced that from playing with the wrong plastic shuttles which flew to fast, and feathers which fell apart after only a few rallies from even average level players who don't hit that hart, because I lived in a climate which was high up (thin air meant birds flew faster), and very dry (feather shuttles would stay moist for only a couple rallies).

My conclusion: you must find the shuttle that is right for you, right for your budget, and right for the area you are playing in.

...the plastic shuttles testing indicates only .005 seconds less than the recovery time of a feather shuttle....

Not only is there the recovery time, there is also the greater rate of deceleration which feather shuttles tend to have after being stroked (compare the difference in flight when attempting a tight net shot or defending a smash).

Originally Posted by coryprice

...do the feather shuttles get destroyed very easily?...even with court-side steaming...

I have compared shuttles that were steamed just prior to playing versus a damp papertowel in the tube 3 days before using. My tests showed the papertowel method had a result of a 15-20% increase in durability.

Originally Posted by coryprice

...I ordered some lower grade feather shuttles for about 8.50/Dozen because true feather ones are so much more expensive...and yet others are willing to use beaten up, left-over tournament or club grade shuttles instead...

Goes back to one of my earlier post...

Don't buy bottom-of-the-line "training" shuttles, just buy quality shuttles that you can afford and you would like to use during regular play. Then save the used ones for drills.

Originally Posted by coryprice

...because I lived in a climate which was high up (thin air meant birds flew faster), and very dry (feather shuttles would stay moist for only a couple rallies)...

When you live at a higher elevation, you use a slower speed to compensate for the thinner air resistance, but still you will need to humify the shuttles a few days before you play. If you play on a regular basis, shoving a wet papertowel once a week should keep your shuttles going!

I have compared shuttles that were steamed just prior to playing versus a damp papertowel in the tube 3 days before using. My tests showed the papertowel method had a result of a 15-20% increase in durability.

That's an interesting tip, which I will have to try. I did not steam them just prior to playing necessarily. I would have steamed them at regular intervals leading up to using them, and then they would be steamed all night, and then just before playing, but I'll have to try the "constant" humidity level that would come from the paper towel in the tube. Thanks!

cory, dont' overdo the steaming. there is a possibility of overdamping the shuttle and it will come out soft and mushy. furthermore, i have seen shuttles which have moulds on it probably caused by too much moisture and then left unused for too long!

cory, dont' overdo the steaming. there is a possibility of overdamping the shuttle and it will come out soft and mushy. furthermore, i have seen shuttles which have moulds on it probably caused by too much moisture and then left unused for too long!

Yeah, that happened to me already. I did the papertowels, then when I got down to the third shuttle, there was mold on the tip. I am just going to steam them just before using them, and only for a few minutes, like I've done before. Had good success with that. Thanks for the tip about oversteaming them though.

First, has anyone tried the Yonex Mavis 370 shuttles. I called Yonex and they tell me that they fly as close to feathers as any plastic shuttles have before. The testing they show indicates only something like only .005 seconds less than the recovery time of a feather shuttle. Has anyone tried it enough to say it feels reasonably close to feather. It feels no better than the Mavis 300s or 350s then I will not bother ordering them from overseas somewhere.